The recent tragic events in Brussels make the joy I experienced this past weekend at the NYC Teen Author Festival feel like ancient history. But it isn’t. The wonder and hope I felt in the company of so many readers…
This winter I’ve been reading about serial killers, Arctic explorers pulling themselves up from deep ice crevasses only to die of starvation, and artists and lawyers wallowing in misery while living in million dollar apartments.
As someone whose teen years are miles away in the rear view mirror, I often find myself using that trite expression, “Back when I was a kid,” with my teenage children. Cue the eye rolling. No wonder. The time before…
Lately, every time I get going on my writing I kill the buzz by thinking about what I’m doing wrong. When I wrote my first novel I plowed ahead blindly, but now I have a serious case of knowing too…
Two of my favorite YA novels, The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp and the Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, are written by men about boys in trouble. I feel guilty admitting this given that I’m a woman…
With the scent of roses in the air and the taste of chocolate lingering on my tongue, my thoughts turn to Valentine’s Days of yore. I remember in third grade when everyone was exchanging valentines, I gave one to every…